Manic Italic
Crazy about calligraphy
Manic Italic
Crazy about calligraphy
Crazy About calligraphy
Why Calligraphy?
Because your vows deserve better than Times New Roman.
Because nobody has ever opened a hand-addressed envelope and thought, ugh, how impersonal.
Because sometimes the appropriate response to living in the digital age is to spend three hours making one really excellent letter R.
And because after thousands of years, we're still making marks by hand to say:
This matters. Remember this. I made this for you.
Calligraphy is old. Really old. That doesn't mean it has to be stuffy.
Manic Italic is a Portland based calligraphy studio devoted to making letters by hand and creating welcoming spaces where other people can learn, experiment, and find their own way into the work.
MAKE SOMETHING
Vows. Poems. Song lyrics. Certificates. Signs. Gifts. Elaborate declarations. Medieval-looking documents of questionable necessity.
If the words matter enough to keep, they're probably worth writing by hand.
LEARN SOMETHING
You do not need good handwriting to learn calligraphy.
Classes and workshops are practical, welcoming, historically curious, and designed for actual beginners. We'll talk tools, technique, letterforms, and why scribes have been arguing about all of the above for centuries.
Make some letters. Make some mistakes. Make better letters.
FIND YOUR PEOPLE
FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Calligraphy is more fun when there are other people at the table.
Scribe Time is a low-pressure gathering for people who like letters, paper, ink, books, tools, and making things by hand. Bring a project, try something new, ask questions, share what you know, or just come see what everybody else is working on.
It's basically a modern scriptorium, with considerably better lighting.
calligraphy class sound good to you?
Beginning Italic
Beginning Italic Calligraphy
Mondays · 6:30–8:00 pm · Portland, Oregon
Want to learn calligraphy but don't know where to start? Start here.
This ongoing Beginning Italic class covers the tools, basic strokes, letterforms, spacing, and techniques you need to build a solid Italic hand. We also wander into calligraphy history, look at the work of great letterers, experiment with tools and materials, and occasionally get distracted by an especially good lowercase g.
You don't need good handwriting, artistic experience, or six consecutive free Mondays.
The class is designed to be flexible: drop in for a single session or work your way through the full six-class series at your own pace.
Absolute beginners are welcome.
Experienced scribes also encouraged!
Use this space to brush up on your skills, help the newbies, or work on individual projects alongside the class.
$15 per class
6 classes for $75
Come learn how a broad-edged pen works, make some letters, ask a ridiculous number of questions, and discover why people have been happily obsessing over this stuff for centuries.
Katrina, From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and well done. Exceeded expectations in every way. Can't wait to start the next project!
Dave Metzger, Wisconsin, USA
